Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, with Jeremy Doku’s involvement leading to Erling Haaland’s penalty that gave the hosts the lead. The result means City have now failed to win three consecutive Premier League matches and sit five points behind Arsenal.
The breakthrough came four minutes before halftime when Doku was brought down in the box by Diego Gomez. After a VAR review confirmed the referee’s decision to award a penalty, Haaland stepped up and converted confidently. The goal was the Norwegian’s 150th for Manchester City and his first in four matches, taking his Premier League tally for the season to 20.
City almost doubled their advantage early in the second half when Bernardo Silva pounced on a Brighton defensive error, but his attempt struck the post. The match became increasingly contentious when a confrontation erupted between City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper, with both goalkeepers receiving yellow cards.
Brighton equalized in the 60th minute through Kaoru Mitoma, who produced a moment of quality. The Japanese winger received a pass from the flank, composed himself at the edge of the penalty area, and guided a low shot into the far corner with excellent technique.
After scoring, Brighton took control of the match, dictating the tempo and creating several opportunities to complete the comeback. Mitoma was at the heart of their best chance, setting up Gomez inside the box, but the midfielder’s shot was saved by Donnarumma. Mitoma’s follow-up effort from near the goal line struck the post. In the dying minutes, Haaland had a clear chance to secure victory when he broke through Brighton’s defense, but Verbruggen produced an excellent save to deny him and ensure Brighton left with a point.
